News pictures of distraught relatives of the passengers on
flight MH370, missing now for more than 2 weeks, bring home an
uncomfortable truth. Even in the light of technological detective
work which broke new ground and determined beyond reasonable doubt
that the plane had ditched in a remote part of the South Indian
Ocean, many of the bereaved are unconvinced, and say they will
remain skeptical until physical evidence of the plane in the sea is
produced.

The problem is not just about the acceptance of evidence which
is technology-based. On an emotional level of course we understand
why the family members cling to any last vestige of hope that their
loved ones are still alive. But their skepticism runs deeper than
that. Perceived secrecy and information delay by Malaysian
Airlines, and the governments of Malaysia and China, has bred
distrust. It is likely that only pieces of debris recovered from
the sea bearing the airplane's logo will change their view.

There are business parallels. Managers from the advertising
sector I was with this week complain about clients whose everyday
mantra is that their budgets have been cut. A typical response to
any fee proposal, however realistic, is met with an insistence that
only half that amount is available. No evidence is offered, and
despite deep distrust by the supplier none is asked for, because
that is tantamount to calling them 'liar'. Similarly claims that a
competing supplier is cheaper, or a competing buyer has offered
more, are mundane, but requests for evidence are normally met with
a polite refusal on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

We want to believe that the people we deal with in business are
honest and that we can trust their word, but we all recognize the
naïveté of that position. The increasing frequency of
'preconditioning' by both buyers and suppliers, particularly the
use of threats and sanctions (delisting, refusal to supply,
cancellation of preferred terms etc. if the other party does not
agree to some unpleasant demand) which the demander has no
authority to make or intention or ability to pursue only reinforces
the adversarial expectation.

Lack of evidence produces skepticism, which in turn sours
relationships and produces poorer deals. Negotiators must remember
this when deciding the appropriateness of hiding information.

We join with the world in offering our condolences to those who
have lost loved ones in this tragic plane crash.

TAGS

The United Kingdom’s flagship carrier has been British Airways since the merger of British European Airways (BEA) and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1974. It has had a few ups and downs. In the 70's and early 80's, its reputation was patchy but from the mid-1980's for possibly the next ten to fifteen years, the airline became a genuine contender for the accolade “Best Airline in the World”. Indeed, one of its advertising straplines from the time was the “World’s Favorite Airline”.